1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cleaning devices and more particularly to a new and improved cleaning device which is constructed and arranged so as to be readily adjustable so that the operator may obtain clean sections by quickly adjusting the elongated strip cleaning material which is also constructed to be attachable to existing cleaning devices to provide an elongated adjustable strip cleaning material.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is common practice, for example, to use a mop to clean floors and the like in which the mop is used in connection with one or more receptacles wherein, for example, one receptacle contains a soap and water solution and a second receptacle contains a clear water solution for rinsing the mop. The mop is dipped into the soap and water solution and applied to the floor to loosen and remove the dirt. When the mop is again inserted into the receptacle containing the soap and water solution, the mop carries dirt into the solution and in a short while the solution becomes dirty so that it is necessary to throw it away and to replace it with clean cleaning fluid. Even when the cleaning solution is first used, the small amount of dirt released by the first mop insertion means that the floor is being washed with a suspension of dirt and the floor is dulled by the thin layer of dirt which remains when the floor dries. In the same way, if the mop is inserted in the rinsing solution, dirt is carried into the rinsing solution so that it must be disposed of at fairly frequent intervals. Even when a separate mop is used with the rinsing solution, the mop picks up dirt from the floor and releases it into the solution so that the rinsing solution must be replaced frequently. Not only is it time consuming to replace the cleaning fluid, as well as the rinsing fluid, but such frequent replacement is expensive, since the detergent or soap is thrown away with the cleaning fluid and, if hot water is used in both the cleaning fluid and the rinsing fluid, the use of large amounts of hot water in an institution, such as a hospital, adds considerably to the cost of maintaining the institution.
The conventional floor sweeping tool which has been widely used for a long period of time is, of course, the dust mop. However, dust mops do not provide the sanitary cleaning which is needed at institutions such as hospitals where thorough and complete cleaning is a necessity to prevent the spread of germs.
Another type of floor cleaning tool which has been used in place of dust mops has employed a web of material, such as cloth or paper, with the web unwinding from a supply roll across the floor and then onto a takeup or windup roll. While floor cleaning tools of this type have proved more satisfactory than simple dust mops, they have suffered from the disadvantage that the used or dirty web is rewound onto a takeup roll and is hence transported from area to area within the hospital or other installation until the entire roll of material has been used up and dirtied. In such an arrangement, there is always the problem that the germs which are carried by the dirty web, as wound upon the takeup roll, are transported from one area in a hospital, such as a contagious ward, to another area which might be intended to be a noncontagious ward. Still further, it has been found that dual roll cleaning tools of this type are generally somewhat expensive to manufacture and are somewhat more difficult for the operator to use, since the operator must push the weight of both the clean roll and the dirty roll and any foreign material which has been wound onto the dirty roll.
The foregoing examples of the prior art as well as the following U.S. Patents are believed to exemplify the present state of the art with respect to such cleaning devices.
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While such prior art devices provide improvement in the areas intended, there still exists a need for a cleaning device which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art while providing utility features which provide new and useful advantages and improvements not heretofore disclosed.
Accordingly, a principle desirable object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cleaning device which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art devices.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device having an elongated cleaning strip member which is adjustable so that a dirty section is replaced by a clean section.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide an elongated cleaning strip device which is adapted to be secured to an existing mop, broom, etc. as an attachment thereto and which can be readily adjusted by the user to provide fresh cleaning surface sections.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide elongated cleaning strips which have various outer cleaning surfaces for selected cleaning purposes.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device which has little or no limitation on the configuration or size of an existing mop head.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device which can be easily used for cleaning generally flat surfaces such as floors, walls, ceilings and the like.
Another desirable object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device in accordance with the foregoing desirable objects that is readily portable and which may be economically manufactured and be of durable character.
These and other desirable objects of the present invention will in part appear hereinafter and will in part become apparent after consideration of the specification with reference to the drawings and the claims.